Pressin' Out Week 9. Day A.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 224

Press - 

-    up to 160X1 @10

-    135X3, 3, 3 @7/8.5

Cambered Bar Bench - 155X6, 6, 6 @8/9.5

GHR - BWX12, 10 @8

super-set with

Machine Pullovers - X11, 9 @8/9

EZ OH Extensions - 55X13, 11, 9, 8 @10

Top end strength wasn't quite in the same place as last week on the Press.

Upped reps on Cambered Bench and OH Extensions over last week.

Pressin' Out Week 7. Day A.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 226

Press - 

-    up to 155X1 @9.5

-    135X3, 3, 3 @7/8

Cambered Bar Bench - 155X5, 5, 5 @7.5/8

GHR - BWX16, 13 @~9

Machine Pullovers - X17, 14 @9.5

EZ OH Extensions - 55X12, 10, 8, 7 @10

Had to leave town unexpectedly for a few days last week, and missed a training session.

Top single on Press was about the same as last week, but back-offs were maybe a tad stronger.

Over the previous 6 weeks, I'd hit a few PRs on DB Bench, so I decided to swap it out for Cambered Bar Bench.  I will likely pivot to focusing on Bench after this Press-focused training runs it's course.  Cambered Bench allows me to start splashing in some skill work on that while continuing to "overload" the delts beyond what I can OHP, but still with a lengthened movement.

Really tried to "beat the log book" instead of just "punching the clock" and add reps on GHR and Pullovers over recent performance while maintaining good technique.  I do a lot of GHRs, and that's definitely a PR at anything close to this BW. 

After all that, Overhead Extensions went in the tank a bit on the initial sets, lol.

Pressin' Out Week 3. Day A.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 223

Press - 

-    145X1 @9

-    125X5, 5 @7/8

DB Bench - 65sX11, 7, 6 @9.5/10

GHR - BWX13, 12 @8.5/9.5

Machine Pullovers - X13, 13 @~10

EZ OH Extensions - 55X13, 9, 8 @~10

A little bit more life in my Press today.  Thought about going up, but being patient and letting it come to me a bit to start.

Pressin' Out Week 1. Day A.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 226

Press - 

-    140X1 @8.5

-    115X5 @7.5

DB Bench - 65sX8, 8 @~8

GHR - BWX10, 10 @7

Machine Pullovers - X14, 12 @8

EZ OH Extension - 55X8, 8 @~8

First session of the new training block in the books.

Chin-Up War Week 11. Day B.

sRPE @7

BW - 224

Chin-Ups - BWX3, 3, 3 @~8

Machine Pullovers - X11, 8, 7 @~10

ATG Pause Squats -

-    up to 325X1(PR) @9

-    225X5, 5 @~7

Rope Pushdowns - X13, 12 @10

Rope Bayesian Curls - X10, 9, 8 @10

I wasn't going to go for a ATG Squat PR, but a buddy was at the gym so I had to.

Chin-Up War Week 10. Day B.

sRPE @7

BW - 226

Chins -

-    up to BW+45X1(PR) @10

-    BWX3, 3 @~8

Pullovers - X16, 13, 11 @10

SLDL - 

-    up to 315X1 @8

-    275X5, 5 @7/8

Pushdowns - X20, 16 @7/10

Rope Bayesian Hammer Curls - X13, 12, 10 @~10

Haven't done weighted chins in a long time so I decided to see what was what.  Will probably start working them in more regularly.

Chin-Up War Week 9. Day B.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 224

Chins - BWX3, 3, 3 @7.5/8.5

Machine Pullovers - X16, 12, 10 @10

ATG Pause Squats -

-    up to 315X1 @9

-    255X5, 5 @6.5/7

Rope Extensions - X16, 12 @10

Rope Bayesian Curls - X13, 12, 11 @10

Solid session.  Nice to have ATG Squats rebound a bit after a few down weeks.

Chin-Up War Week 8. Day B.

sRPE @7

BW - 221

Chin-Ups - BWX3, 3, 3 @~7

Machine Pullovers - X13, 10 @~10

SLDL -

-    up to 355X1(PR) @10

-    275X5, 5 @8/9

BW JM Press - BWX13, 12 @9/10

Rope Curls - X13, 10 @10

Solid session.

I'm doing the Rope Curls with the really long rope attachment and my back to the rack, and my arms stretched out behind me.  They feel pretty good.

Chin-Up War Week 7. Day B.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 221

Chins - BWX3, 2, 2 @7.5/6

Machine Pullovers - X12, 9 @10

ATG Pause Squats -

-    up to 295X1 @8.5

-    205X5, 5 @7/8

Rope Pushdowns - X18, 14 @9.5/10

Rope Curls - X12, 10 @10

Solid session.  I was conservative with the weight on Squats because I'm having some adductor discomfort just below parallel, but it didn't get worse during the session or be very noticeable at all in the hours since.

Chin-Up War Pivot. Day B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 222

Chin-Ups - BWX3, 2 @7.5/6.5

Machine Pullovers - X12, 10 @8

SLDL - 

-    up to 335X1 @9

-    275X5, 5 @~7.5

Rope Pushdowns - X9, 8 @10

Rope Curls - X6, 6, @8/9

Nice easy session except for SLDL.  Mental fatigue definitely dissipating quickly as sleep has been good again for several nights in a row, and I'm having to hold myself back from pushing sets harder in the gym.  Expect some of the physical fatigue will continue to dissipate as well, and I'm hoping to feel great to start pushing again next week.

Pause Squats, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 223

Pause Squat - 

-    up to 355X1(PR) @9

-    300X3(PR) @8.5

-    275X3, 3 @~7

Band Pull-Ups - Avg.Band Under KneeX6, 6, 4 @9/10

Machine Pullovers w/ rest-pause partials - X17/12 @9.5

DB Incline Extensions - 20X13, 16, 15 @8/10

A very successful Pause Squat wave.  We'll see how it translates to comp Squat starting next week.

Took some doing to get in a position on the adjustable benches where I could do smooth reps on incline extensions without hitting something.  Once I did, they are starting to feel more stable.  Lots of room for these to improve.  Unlike OH Extensions, these don't really ever feel relaxed at the bottom because of tension at the shoulder.

Pause Squats, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @7.5

BW - 225

Pause Squat -

-    up to 350X1(PR) @9

-    295X3(PR) @7.5

-    275X3, 3 @6.5

Band Pull-Ups - Avg. Band under kneeX6, 5, 5 @~10

Machine Pullovers w/ rest-pause partials - X15, 13 @~10

Cable Incline Extensions - X13, 9, 10 @~10

Felt pretty confident after last week that I would be able to grab a couple of Pause Squat PRs.  However, the 295X3 was a bit tougher than I'd have liked, so I dropped back to 275 for the remaining back-offs.

I don't do incline triceps extension very often because whenever I do, they feel weirdly unstable and challenging.  Wondering if I should just back the weight off and see if I can get to a point where multiple variations feel stable and smooth.  

Pause Squats, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @ 8

BW - 224

Pause Squats -

-    up to 325X1 @8

-    275X3, 3, 3 @6.5/7.5

Band Pull-Ups - Avg.Band Under KneeX5, 5, 4 @9/10

Machine Pull-Overs w/ Rest-Pause - X18/7 @10

Pushdowns w/ Rest-Pause Partials - X14/8, 13/5 @10

Sleep has been rough, and humidity is high so I didn't really want to do any of this today.  But Pause Squats felt good.  Kept elbows down and chest up, but still need to stay back on my heels better.

SSB, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 224

Safety Bar Squats- 

-    up to 335X1(PR) @10

-    225X6, 6, 6 @7/7.5

Band Pull-Ups avg. band under foot - BWX6, 5, 4 @9/10

Machine Pullovers w/ rest-pause partials - X17/9 @10

DB 1-arm OH Extensions - 20X12, 10, 9 @10

Had a hard time keeping position on the SSB single, but nice to get another PR here before I change movements.

SSB, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @7

BW - 227

SSB Squats - 

-    up to 305X1 (PR) @8

-    215X6, 6, 6 @6/7

Pull-Ups w/ Avg. Band Under Foot - BWX6, 4, 4 @8/9

Machine Pullovers w/ Rest-Pause Partials - X16/13 @10

EZ OH Extensions - 45X17, 14, 10 @~10

Humid in the gym today but everything felt solid.

SSB, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @7

BW - 225

SSB Squat -

-    up to 295X1 @9

-    205X6, 6, 6 2~6.5

Pull-Ups - BWX3, 3, 3 @~10

Machine Pullovers w/ rest-pause partials - X13/12 @~10

Pushdowns - X15, 13, 11 @10

Top set of SSB may tie a PR depending on how much weight I'm crediting the SSB with.  I've decided I'm just gonna call it +20, but I may have factored it at +25 previously based on the Rogue SSB.  If I lift more later, it won't matter.

Haven't really done pronated pull-ups for sets in a while.  I really like wide-grip pronated on pull-downs, so I thought I'd try some pronated pull-ups for a while.  I may mess around with bands on these to get more total reps. 

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 7. Session B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 216

Press - 135X4, 3, 2, 2 @9/7.5

Chin-Ups - BWX8 @8.5

Machine Pullovers - X15, 15 @8/10

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 4 @~10

DB Curls (myo-reps) - 40sX12, 5, 5, 5, 4 @~10

On Press, those 4 sets with 135 constitute a 4X2 Volume PR.  I wasn't going to get a 4 Rep or 4X4 PR here at the end of the block, but I was pretty sure I could get a 4X1 or 2 Volume PR.  Instead of doing straight sets, I still tried pushing the first couple of sets just to see what would be there on the day.

No other PRs on the last B session of the block.  There was an outside chance I might hit a Rep PR on either Chins or TTB, but I could kind of tell after Press that they weren't going to be there. 

DB Curls Myo-Reps with the 40's were slightly better than when I tried them a couple of weeks ago.  Still only got 12 on the top set, but last time I only got 4's across with the myo-rep sets.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 6. Session B.

sRPE @7

BW - 218

Press - 132.5X4, 4, 4 @~8/9

Chin-Ups -

BWX8 @8

NG Density, 1 rep every 0:15; 2:30 / 10 total reps @7

Machine-Pullovers - X15, 14 @7/10

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 6 @8.5/10

DB Curls (myo-reps) - 37.5sX15, 5, 5, 5, 5 @~10

Looks like that 135 for 4X4 Volume PR on Press is receding into the distance.  Next week is the last week of the training block.  Maybe I'll just do 4 sets with 135 and see what I get.  Only did 3 sets here as I'm still taking the slight volume reduction from last week's TRAC recommendation coupled with sRPE creep.

Also cut density chin time in half.  I started to cut it out altogether, but then it occurred to me that cutting in half might be more like "cutting one set" than taking the whole thing out.

2X6 on TTB is a Volume PR.

When I did the 37.5s on DB Curls 2 weeks ago, I couldn't get 5 reps on all the myo-rep sets.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 5. Session B.

sRPE @7

BW - 218

Press -

130X4, 4, 4 @8/9

122.5X4 @~8

Chin-Ups - 

BWX7 @8

NG Density; 1 rep every 0:15; 5:00 / 20 total reps @8

Machine Pullovers - X15, 12 @8/10

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 5 @8/10

DB Curls (myo-reps) - 40sX12, 4, 4, 4, 4 @~10

Everything was a little blah today.  The TRAC system in the RTS app says I should reduce volume by 1 set on each movement in my next session.  I usually don't take that advice, especially if sRPE is more-or-less on target, but it might be a good idea.  Especially since next session is Squats, it's on Christmas Eve, and I have to go in the morning because the gym is closing early.  Yeah...

First and third sets of Press with 130 felt really good.  Form felt really locked in, but RPE still crept up on that 3rd set, so I dropped back for the fourth.  Still an outside chance I could hit a 4X4 PR at the end of the block.

Everything around my shoulders was feeling run down after Press so I focused on stopping chins @8.  That ended up being a couple reps less than last week, but that's fine.  My tentative rule was that if I drop in reps on the main set, that I add reps on the density work, and so I added 0:30/2 reps there, and that was fine.  Also added a set to the pullovers, but that was planned for this week.

At this BW, 1X6 is technically an e1RM PR on TTB.  Still can't get 2X6 which is the PR I wanted.

Upped weight on DB Curl myo-reps, but had to scale the reps back.  Will probably drop back in weight next week.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 4. Session B.

sRPE @7

BW - 216

Press - 127.5X4, 4, 4, 4 @~8/9

Chin-Ups - 

BWX9 @~9

NG Density: 1 rep every 0:15; 4:30 (18 total reps) @8

Machine Pullovers - X15 @10

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 5 @8/9.5

DB Curls (myo-reps) - 37.5sX15, 5, 5, 4, 3 @10/10

Stretching rests out now on Press to try and keep in target RPE range.  I think I pushed it to 3:30 between 3rd and 4th sets.  PRs still pretty far away on this movement, although there's a chance I hit a 4X4 PR by the end of this block.  However, this is the first of 3 blocks with Press as my upper-body pressing focus, so I still have a few months to see if I can coax some PRs.

Chin-ups were...fine.  First set is a little meh for the second week in a row, but the density work felt stronger.  

Really enjoying hitting the machine pullovers with a BB style.  Pause at the top, strong concentric, squeeze against legs at the bottom, slow-and-controlled eccentric.  When I finished the last rep, it was like coming out of a tunnel.  Any my lats were on fire.  

TTB crapped out a little bit.  That's slot 3 for ya.

DB curls continue to project as stronger than my BB curls, lol.  I think that's just down to strictness.  I'm fairly strict on straight-bar curls because I start to get wrist and elbow issues if I'm not.  With DBs, I can "just curl."